A system for processing signals from a radiation detector with semiconductors. A plurality of elementary detectors are placed side-by-side along a detection surface or a detection volume in which radiation referred to as incident radiation is capable of giving up its energy in at least one interaction. The device includes the supplying in response to each incident ray, an amount of energy corresponding to the sum of the energies given up during each interaction induced by the incident radiation. This device may be used in medical imaging.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A device for processing interaction detection signals for a radiation detector with semiconductors that comprises a plurality of elementary detectors placed side by side along a surface or volume of detection sensitive to the energies given up in one or more interactions by rays called incident rays and which are capable of supplying interaction detection signals characterized in that the device comprises means called processing means to supply, in response to each incident ray detected, at least one energy datum corresponding to the sum of the energies given up during each interaction induced by said incident ray on a main elementary detector and interaction energies having taken place substantially at the same moment on elementary detectors that are neighbors to the main detector.
2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that the processing means comprise: first means to associate with each interaction detection signal, an elementary detector, interaction position data interaction energy data and an interaction date datum, selection means to select the interactions that have substantially one and the same interaction date datum and interaction position data that correspond to neighboring elementary detectors in the surface or the volume of detection, and summation means to add the energy data of the selected interactions and to establish a datum called the energy sum datum which corresponds to the sum of the energies given up during each interaction induced by the incident ray.
3. A device according to claim 2, characterized in that, in addition, it comprises second means to supply, in response to each incident ray, a datum of position on the surface or in the volume of detection.
4. A device according to claim 3, in which, the means of supplying, in response to each incident ray, a position datum, comprise a calculating device capable of calculating said position datum of the incident ray as a linear combination of the interaction position data in relation to the selected interactions energy data.
5. A device according to claim 2, in which, the selection means comprise at least one memory having a plurality of pages respectively associated with a plurality of successive periods of time, means of writing energy and position data for each interaction respectively on a page whose period of time includes the date of said interaction and means of reading, page by page, the data written into the memory.
6. A device according to claim 2, in which, the selection means comprise position data comparators.
7. A device according to claim 2, in which, the first means comprise at least one circuit capable of supplying position data as a function of a location on the surface or the volume of detection of the elementary detector that has detected said interaction.
8. A device according to claim 2, in which, the first means comprise: at least one circuit to form the amplitude and the rise time data for the detection signals at least one circuit called a correction circuit to calculate an interaction energy datum as a function of the amplitude and rise time data of the detection signals.
9. A device according to claim 2, in which, the first means comprise at least one counter, controlled by a clock to supply an interaction date datum that corresponds to each detection signal.
10. A device according to claim 7 comprising a plurality of circuits to form amplitude and rise time data for the signals, such a circuit being associated with each elementary detector.
11. A device according to claim 8, in which a single common correction circuit is associated with the assembly of elementary detectors and into which a multiplexer is connected between the plurality of circuits for the formation of the amplitude and rise time data for the signals and the correction circuit.
12. A radiation detector comprising a plurality of elementary detectors placed side by side along a surface or a volume of detection and a device for processing detection signals from elementary detectors conforming to claim 1.
13. A radiation detector according to claim 12, in which each elementary detector includes a semiconductor detection material and polarization and reading electrodes created on opposite faces of the detector.
14. A radiation detector according to claim 12 comprising at least one semiconductor detection material and a plurality of electrodes separated and placed side by side on at least one face of the semiconductor material, each electrode forming with a portion of the semiconductor material, an elementary detector.
15. A detector according to one of claim 13, in which the semiconductor material is a crystal of CdTe or CdZnTe.
16. A gamma camera comprising a radiation detector and a system for forming images characterized in that the radiation detector conforms to claim 12.
17. A method of processing interaction detection signals from a radiation detector with semiconductors comprising a plurality of elementary detectors placed side by side along a surface or a volume of detection, sensitive to the energies given up in one or more interactions by the rays, called incident rays, and capable of supplying interaction detection signals, characterized in that: one associates with each interaction detection signal from an elementary detector, position data for the interaction and a date datum for the interaction one selects interactions having one and the same interaction date datum and interaction position data that correspond to elementary detectors that are neighbors on the surface or volume of detection, and one adds the energy data of the selected interactions and one establishes a datum called an energy sum datum that corresponds to the sum of the energies given up during each interaction induced by the incident ray.
18. A method according to claim 17, in the case of a detection surface, in which, in addition to a position datum in response to each incident ray, one establishes the position datum that corresponds to a linear combination of position data for the interactions on the detection surface as a function of energies of the interactions induced by the ray.
19. A detector according to claim 14, in which the semiconductor material is a crystal of CdTe or CdZnTe.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
September 23, 1999
December 11, 2001
Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.